Creme de Citron
  • BLOG
  • ABOUT
  • LIFESTYLE
  • TRAVEL
    • AMERICA
    • ASIA
    • EUROPE
    • OCEANIA
  • FOOD
    • EAT >
      • SAVOURY
      • SWEET
    • DRINK
  • SHOP
    • PRINTS

Irish croque-monsieur

30/5/2013

8 Comments

 
Click HERE for the recipe
Irish Croque-Monsieur Recipe
Nine years ago exactly, yours truly was seating with hundreds of other students in a very large amphitheatre of a French university. Yes, at that time I was focusing on writing essays about law for my exams: International law, penal law, criminology, business law (and many more).
But at that time, I was also planning the trip of a lifetime in Ireland. I think I can really use the word 'lifetime' here because I would leave France two months later and never go back. Well... I do eventually go back to visit my family (and gorge on delicious French food). And Ireland became my home! E. and I did spend three of the past nine years in Australia. To be fair, the purpose of this trip was to spend some time with his lovely Irish family members who live there.
But then , there was the return to beautiful Ireland because this is home!
Over the past (nearly) nine years, I really settled in the culture and food world of this country and made many lovely Irish friends. I also settled so well in only speaking English that I lost a bit of my French (vocabulary, grammar, intonation)... Whenever I go back to France for a holiday and go shopping I hear "oh! Vous avez un joli accent anglais! Vous venez d'où?" (oh, what a lovely English accent! Where are you from?), or my own family members make fun of my forgotten French grammar and this is how I walk away practically each time. And since only half of the culinary vocabulary I know I learned in English, I find myself a bit lost in translation as you say.
However, one thing that I am never lost with wherever I go is food. Or I should even say ingredients. I dig for my beloved memories of French dishes and adapt them with the local products. And since Ireland is now my home, and has been for years, I decided to make a favourite of mine with some really lovely Irish ingredients.
May I introduce you to the Irish croque-monsieur!
Irish Croque-Monsieur Recipe
I love biting into a delicious croque-monsieur. You get so many flavours and textures in one go: the crispiness of the bread, saltiness and softness of the slice of ham and then the wonderful creamy and gooey texture of the melted cheese.
For this recipe, I walked around Dublin and visited some lovely Irish food shops in order to find what I was after to reproduce my beloved croque-monsieur.
For the bread, I found a wonderful white farmhouse loaf. It had the exact texture I wanted and I struggled a lot not to eat it all toasted with butter and jam.
I was also lucky to have a delicious Irish baked ham sliced for me. I thought it was the perfect meat for the recipe, so much better than the plastic-like slices of ham found in supermarkets. And this recipe might come in handy next Christmas with your baked ham leftovers. I am salivating just thinking about it...
Now, the cheese part was where I knew I had to get it right. In France, I like making this recipe with Comté and gruyère cheeses as they really compliment each other and melt into a lovely creamy texture when cooked (they are also used together with Beaufort cheese in the famous recipe of cheese fondue). I decided to pay a visit to my favourite cheese shop in Dublin: Sheridans Cheesemongers. I had a clear idea of what I wanted to use to replace the Comté part: a delicious piece of Coolea cheese. This is so far the Irish cheese that reminds me the most of it. It has the same feel, the same sweet and rich caramelly flavour.
For the gruyère-like part, I asked one of the shop assistants for some help. She immediately pointed me to the wonderful Glebe Brethan cheese. I tasted Coolea and the latter consecutively and the combination was excellent, just what I had been looking for! Glebe Brethan had the exact texture of a great gryuère cheese with fruity and nutty notes.
If you are not near any of these cheeses, try to aim for similar textures and flavours. Even get a little taste to see if it works for you.
When I made the recipe using all the lovely Irish ingredients, it created an incredible result. It reminded me of my French roots but at the same time it was all definitely Irish, and that represents a lot of who I am now (not Irish but feeling where I belong). And the smell of the gorgeous melted cheeses, do not get me started on that...
Irish Croque-Monsieur Recipe
Irish Croque-Monsieur Recipe
Click HERE for the recipe
8 Comments
la domestique link
30/5/2013 06:11:19

I love croque-monsieur and think it's so fun that you created one with Irish ingredients!

Reply
Yolène link
30/5/2013 10:00:52

It was fun indeed, I love using local ingredients to recreate French recipes, it always turns out being delicious :)

Reply
Angela link
30/5/2013 08:40:26

Beautiful story. Close to me because it has been almost two years since I left Poland to join my husband here, in Ireland. I also adapt some Polish recipes to Irish ingredients and I have to admit that they very often taste even better, especially when I use organic Irish dairy products. And I must do your croque-monsieur - it looks so delicious!

Reply
Yolène link
30/5/2013 10:03:31

Thank you Angela! And let me know what you think of the croque-monsieur. I love the local Irish ingredients, really delicious.

Reply
tweety58
2/6/2013 12:50:13

Miam!Miam! j'en ai l'eau à la bouche

Reply
Yolène link
6/6/2013 03:39:42

C'est un bon compliment ça, merci!

Reply
Vania link
12/7/2013 04:26:05

I just stumbled across your blog. I love this irish recipe, definitely will have to try to source all local ingredients!

Reply
Yolène link
2/9/2013 07:36:54

Hi Vania! I hope you get to try it, it is so delicious! I even just brought those cheeses to France and they were a big success there!

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Hello! I’m Yolene, a French blogger based in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
    Welcome to my blog Crème de Citron. This is where I share lifestyle, travel and food stories.

    Copyright © Yolene Dabreteau, unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved.
    Content and images cannot be used without my permission.



    CATEGORIES

    All
    America
    Asia
    Autumn
    Beverage
    Christmas
    Dessert
    Europe
    It's Saturday!
    Lifestyle
    Oceania
    Recipe
    Savoury
    Sweet
    Travel
    Winter

    Archives

    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012

Content, text and photography are protected by Copyright © Yolène Dabreteau - All rights reserved.